Lisa Riley details being a ‘hunter’ in past romances and how she found a happy ending with her fiancé Al

Her Emmerdale character, Mandy Dingle, has certainly had some ups and downs with her on-screen love life in recent months.

And Lisa Riley has opened up about her real-life romance as she details the path to finding The One in her fiancé Al.

The soap opera actress, 46, admitted that it was not an easy journey remembering past relationship issues, sharing that she was always a “hunter” during previous romances.

speaking this week with Mirror, Lisa took a trip down memory lane on how she met her partner nine years ago.

“In my previous relationships, I was always the hunter, looking for a man,” Lisa shared, explaining that she met Al when she wasn’t looking for love.

Unexpected: In a new interview with The Mirror, Lisa explained that she wasn’t looking for love when she met Al.

Describing herself as “proof” that love shows up when you’re not looking for it, the star revealed at the time that another relationship was “not on her radar”.

Slovenian-American musician Al was unaware of Lisa’s fame at the time of their meeting, when they were introduced to my mutual friends.

Reminiscing about many previous boyfriends who were just looking for their place in the public eye and their perks, she shared: “Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who like what comes with the ‘Lisa Riley’ face and they’re not.” . with me for the right reasons.

But meeting Al was a breath of fresh air, as the actress joked that since he didn’t know of her fame, he didn’t care if she was a “lollipop girl or worked on the bus.”

And after going strong for nearly a decade, they’re the perfect match: Lisa is the more energetic while Al is laid back.

‘We completely complement each other. I’m on volume 10 and he’s on volume three, so he brings me down to five,” she explained.

Lisa and Al, who reside in Yorkshire, have been engaged for five years, but a wedding is not on their radar.

In August 2022, the couple admitted that they weren’t really looking forward to getting married, noting that it wouldn’t make any difference to their relationship.

Genuine: But meeting Al was a breath of fresh air, as the actress joked that since he didn’t know of her fame, he didn’t care if she was a “lollipop girl or worked on the bus.”

She shared: ‘We have lost our mothers. And when it comes to things like weddings, you do it for others. I’m never going to change my name, so really, what would be different?’

Lisa has spoken candidly about her relationship woes in the past, even addressing previous heartbreak and trust issues last week during an appearance on the White Wine Question Time podcast.

Admitting that earlier trauma has left her unable to even fully trust Al, she shared: ‘I had so many failed relationships and I didn’t trust anyone. My gay friends were one big layer of sugar foam. I had all my boys around me and they were giving me fake love.

“Even to this day, Al would say, and I’ve been with him for years and years and years, and he’d say, ‘You still have trust issues.’ It’s true.

I used to test men. She used to have questions. A bit like a Miss Marple thing. She was trying to test them for what reason they were talking to me.

‘Because when you’ve been stung by so many bees, you think they just want to walk the red carpet at the Inside Soap Awards and get a free suit.

But one managed to pass the tests with flying colors, adding: ‘Al had many tests and he won them all. The bastard. He is so relaxed that he is falling. I’m like a catalina wheel. But that’s why it works, that’s what it takes.’

Open: Lisa has been candid about her relationship woes in the past, even addressing previous heartbreak and trust issues last week during an appearance on the White Wine Question Time podcast

Trust Issues: Admitting that the earlier trauma has left her unable to even fully trust Al, she recalled giving him “tests” to make sure he was loyal.